Interactive Child Development Research

Investigating the educational and research outcomes of conducting child development research in a museum setting

Traditionally, research in child development has been conducted in an academic laboratory setting with great success. This project is examining what happens when research is conducted in a community setting.

By creating a “living laboratory” at the Milton J. Rubenstein Museum of Science and Technology, the team seeks to explore the effects of engaged participation, asking: Does this kind of living lab produce more robust and elaborative findings? Does it engage more racially, socioeconomically and politically diverse populations? Do children offer different responses in an informal museum setting? Are parents more willing to participate in research? Are researchers better able to design effective and meaningful experiments?